1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control program development system or the like for an electronic control device, more particularly to a communication protocol converter system for data communication with the electronic control device with a different communication protocol and a monitor device related to the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 17 shows a configuration of a control program development system including a conventional communication protocol converter system. FIG. 17 includes a control apparatus 100 for a controlled object, an electronic control device 101 for controlling the control apparatus 100, a microcomputer 102, and a input/output circuit 103 from/to the side of an interface device 107. The microcomputer 102 has a RAM 102a, which is carried in the electronic control device 101, and a control program 102b built-in. FIG. 17 also includes a personal computer 106, for example, which is an outside computing portion connected to the outside, a toolbox 104 for carry out an operation based on a control block diagram created in the personal computer 106, and a microcomputer 105, which is carried in the toolbox 104.
FIG. 17 further includes an interface device 107, which is a communication interface between the toolbox 104 and the electronic control device 101, a communication protocol converter means 108, which is carried in the interface device 107, and input/output circuits 109 and 110. The input/output circuits 109 and 110 are for the side of the toolbox 104 and for the side of the electronic control device 101, respectively. FIG. 17 still further includes connectors 112, 113, and 115, 116. The connectors 112 and 113 connects a communication line between the toolbox 104 and the interface device 107, and the connectors 115 and 116 connects a communication line between the interface device 107 and the electronic control device 101.
FIG.18 shows in more detail a configuration of the interface device 107 shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 18 includes a communication signal converter means 118, which is located within the protocol converter means 108, for converting a communication signal between the toolbox 104 and the electronic control device 101. The communication signal converter means 118 includes a clock (CLK) signal generator means 119 and a data signal generator means 120. The CLK signal generator means 119 generates a CLK signal, and the data signal generator means 12 generates a data signal.
Next, an operation will be described. The control program development system carries out an operation of a part of computing (program) operated in the electronic control device 101 through a control method created by a control application software (S/W) implemented in the personal computer 106. The operation is carried out through the toolbox 104. The operation by the toolbox 104 is carried out by using an operation parameter of the electronic control device 101. It receives the operation parameter from the electronic control device 101, carries out the operation by using the received operation parameter, and sends a operation result to the electronic control device 101.
As a specific example, suppose that the control apparatus 100 is an vehicle engine, which is controlled by the electronic control device 101, where an operation (program) for determining a time to ignite, for example is included in the control program of the electronic control device 101. In order to improve the time to ignite, suppose when an operation (program) is newly created for determining the time to ignite through the personal computer 106, it is calculated in the toolbox 104. At that time, the operation parameter needed for the operation is obtained from the electronic control device 101 via the interface device 107, and the operation result is further sent to the electronic control device 101 via the interface device 107.
Then, a series of processes will be described. First, a control (for example, creating control block diagram) is established, which is used for controlling the electronic control device 101 on the control application S/W in the personal computer 106. Next, the control created in the personal computer 106 is converted to a program code, which runs in the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox the control created in the personal computer 106, in order to carrying out an operation in the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104. After that, the program code is programmed in the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104, which enables the toolbox 104 to carry out the operation of the control created in the personal computer 106.
The control written into the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 carries out the operation based on an internal parameter in the electronic control device 101 and the operation result is used for controlling the electronic control device 101. As a result, a data exchange is needed between the toolbox 104 and the electronic control device 101. Here, if the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 and the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101 do not have the same specification from the same manufacturer, their communication protocols of the communication function of both microcomputers differ, and they can not communicate directly.
Therefore, the interface device 107 is installed between the toolbox 104 and the electronic control device 101, and data sent from the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 is converted to the communication protocol of the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101 to send the data to the electronic control device 101. Also, conversely, data sent from the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101 is converted to the communication protocol of the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 to send the data to the toolbox 104.
Here, the communication protocol of the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101 is SCI(A), and the communication protocol of the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 is SCI(B). The protocol converter means 108 within the interface device 107 is set to be able to convert their communication protocol. The SCI(A) and the SCI(B) differ in their the communication speed and signal form of the communication data.
First, a CLK signal sent from the electronic device is input to the CLK signal generator means 119 within the protocol converter means 108 via the input/output circuit 110 and a B1 terminal of the protocol converter means 108. Since the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101 and the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 differ in communication speed, the speed of the CLK signal is converted in the CLK signal generator means 119 to send the signal to the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 via an A1 terminal of the protocol converter means 108 and the input/output circuit 109.
The data signal sent from the micro computer 102 within the electronic control device 101 is input to the data signal generator means 120 via the input/output circuit 110 and a terminal B2 of the protocol converter means 108. The data signal generator means 120 converts the signal received from the electronic control device 101 to a data form for the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 and synchronizes it with the speed of the signal sent from the CLK signal generator means 119 to send it to the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 via a terminal A2 of the protocol converter means 108 and the input/output circuit 109.
Similarly, when data is sent from the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 to the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101, the signal sent from the microcomputer 105 within the toolbox 104 is converted in the data signal generator means 120 to send the data to the microcomputer 102 within the electronic control device 101.
In this way, causing the interface device 107 to convert the protocol which differs between the microcomputer within the toolbox 104 and the microcomputer within the electronic control device 101 allows a data sending/receiving function between the electronic control device and the toolbox.
The interface device 107 is manufactured so as to handle the communication protocol of the microcomputer within the electronic control device 101. Therefore, if the electronic control device 101 with a different communication protocol is used, the interface device 107 corresponding to the communication protocol within the electronic control device 101 is attached so that the toolbox 104 and the electronic control device 101 can be communicated, which realizes the control program development system.
The communication protocol converter system of the conventional program development system is configured as described above and needs an interface device inherent to a communication protocol of an electronic control device. Thus, if a targeted electronic control device is changed and the communication protocol of the electronic control device is changed, the interface device can not handle the protocol of the electronic control device, which does not allow communication between a toolbox and an electronic control device. Therefore an interface device which handles the communication protocol of the electronic control device. As a result, the same number of interface devices is needed as the number of types of communication protocol of the electronic control device for the control development. In that case, an interface device, which does not handle the communication protocol of the electronic control device, may be used by mistake, which may destroy hardware(HW) of the electronic control device and/or the interface device.
Further, it is necessary to develop an interface device corresponding to the communication protocol for each communication protocol of the electronic control device, which causes a problem of the increase in the development cost.
The present invention is made in order to resolve the problems described above. It is an object of the present invention for one type of interface device to handle a plurality of communication protocols without preparing an interface device for each communication protocol of an electronic control device and to provide a reliable communication protocol converter system without wrong setting of the protocol in the interface device.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a monitor device, which can handle a plurality types of electronic control devices with different communication protocols.
In view of the objects described above, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication protocol converter system, comprising: an electronic control device with a microcomputer including a control program; a control and arithmetic portion with a microcomputer which operates a control program created externally by using an operation parameter from the electronic control device; and an interface device, which is connected between the control and arithmetic portion and the electronic control device, for converting a communication protocol between communication data in the control and arithmetic portion and communication data in the electronic control device; wherein the interface device includes a variable protocol converter means, which can change a communication protocol to handle one or both of the connected electronic control device and control and arithmetic portion in regard to one or both side of the electronic control device and control and arithmetic portion.
The variable protocol converter means may store a plurality of communication protocols in order to switch and change them in regard to one or both of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion.
In this case, the variable protocol converter means may changes a communication protocol based on a specification of communication protocol set information of one or both of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion for the variable protocol converter means through the control and arithmetic portion from the outside.
This communication protocol converter system may be arranged such that one or both of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion owns their communication protocol set information, respectively, and the variable protocol converter means switches a communication protocol setting based on the communication protocol set information.
In this case, one or both of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion may own their communication protocol set information, respectively, and the communication protocol converter system preferably comprises an external computing portion, which is connected to the control and arithmetic portion, for, in regard to one or both of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion, inputting communication protocol set information owned by the device and a communication protocol set in the communication protocol converter means and, then, if both of them are different, notifying it.
The communication protocol converter system may further comprises an external computing portion for writing a control program directly into the electronic control device, wherein this external computing portion determines a communication protocol used in the electronic control device in a process for converting a program form and a source program to an executable program and specifies communication protocol set information of the electronic control device for the variable protocol converter means externally through the control and arithmetic portion.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication protocol converter system, comprising: an electronic control device with a microcomputer including a control program; a control and arithmetic portion with a microcomputer, which operates a control program created externally by using an operation parameter from the electronic control device; an interface device with a variable protocol converter means, which is connected between the control and arithmetic portion and the electronic control device and can rewrite a communication protocol to handle one or both of the connected electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion in regard to one or both side of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion, for converting a communication protocol between communication data of the control and arithmetic portion and communication data of the electronic control device; and a communication protocol rewriting means for rewriting a communication program of the variable protocol converter means depending on a communication protocol of a device being connected in regard to one or both side of the electronic control device and the control and arithmetic portion.
The communication protocol rewriting means may include a ROM which is installed on the interface device for storing a communication protocol and a microcomputer for writing data stored in the ROM to a variable protocol converter means.
In this case, the communication protocol rewriting means may include an external computing portion for writing a communication protocol into the variable protocol converter means externally through the control and arithmetic portion.
Preferably, the communication protocol rewriting means includes a writing device connected to the outside of the interface device for writing a communication protocol into the variable protocol converter means.
In a specific form of the invention set forth above, the interface device may be equipped with input/output circuits on the side of the electronic control device and on the side of the control and arithmetic portion, respectively, and the variable protocol converter means may be equipped with a communication terminal and switches a voltage level in the input/output circuit by switching an input/output voltage level of the communication terminal based on a communication protocol set to the variable protocol converter means.
In this case, the interface device may be equipped with input/output circuits on the side of the electronic control device and on the side of the control and arithmetic portion, respectively, and a communication circuit voltage switching circuit for switching a communication voltage level thereof, and the variable protocol converter means may switch the communication circuit voltage switching circuit based on a communication protocol set to the variable protocol converter means and, thereby, switch a voltage supplied to the input/output circuit in order to switch a voltage level of the input/output circuit.
Preferably, the interface device is equipped with input/output circuits on the side of the electronic control device and on the side of the control and arithmetic portion, respectively, and the variable protocol converter means is equipped with a communication terminal and switches a voltage level in the input/output circuit by switching an input/output voltage level of the communication terminal based on a communication protocol set to the variable protocol converter means.